For What It's Worth
by eyeshield21
Summary: [Part 2 AU] Naruto won at the Valley of the end  but he left Sasuke behind. For after all the trouble he had caused Naruto, he wasn't worth it. Of course, this changes everything.
1. Prologue

_An indefinite future..._

Two flashes, a destroyed building.

Two men, standing amongst the rubble, facing each other with dark, red eyes.

"It's both a good thing and a hindrance to see that you haven't slowed down, Uchiha." Naruto said bitterly, ignoring the sword at his neck.

"I thought I eliminated your ability to speak the last time we fought, Naruto." Sasuke shot back, ignoring Naruto's trench knife, which was inches from his heart.

"You thought you did, just like I thought I broke your back in five places." Naruto said casually, earning himself a hollow laugh from Sasuke. Despite the fact that the two scarred Shinobi were frozen in their killing stances, and that their respective ANBU and Otokage uniforms were covered in the blood of multiple enemies, they spoke as if it was a normal conversation between two old acquaintances catching up.

"I must admit it was a bit tricky to find a doctor good enough to fix that one up." Sasuke replied. "But greetings aside, why are you here Naruto? The last time you stormed into my village and killed most of my followers was when you tried to kill me. Are you here to have another try?"

"I actually came here on my own accord - to deliver something." Said Naruto, as he cautiously withdrew a scroll from his ANBU vest.

"I had a feeling you had finally given up on trying to kill me - I guess that means after all our battles, I come out as the victor." Sasuke's pride appeared to be still intact, as a grimace slid onto Naruto's face.

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Naruto spoke, his deep voice bearing a dark tone. "After all these years, ever since we fought at the Valley of the End, we've been trying to find ways to best each other, and it does seem like a strange time to give up." Sasuke nodded, as Naruto continued. "And then I realized it - a way to prove I was the better of the two of us, once and for all. I've done something that you were and would be never able to do."

"Something I was never able to do?" Sasuke spat in disbelief. "I, Uchiha Sasuke? The man who defeated Orochimaru? The man who commanded Otogakure to seize control of Iwagakure? The one who was vital in the destruction of Akatsuki?"

"Vital?" Naruto laughed. "Akatsuki still hasn't ended - after all these years. A few of their members stuck to their wits and escaped ours, and supposedly your grasp as well. Think back Uchiha, to the day when we were selected as a team. We spoke of ourselves, our likes, our dislikes - our _dreams_."

"Those bear no matter to me anymore." Sasuke's hand began to shake, as the sword quivered towards Naruto's throat.

"Because you were never able to succeed. I was able to succeed where you failed, Uchiha." Naruto took a second to enjoy the look on Sasuke's face, as Sasuke stared back in disbelief. "Despite the countless people you've murdered, the friends you stabbed in the back and left to rot and all your 'successes', the one thing you made your life goal - I beat you to it. Me, Naruto, dead-last, defeated the Uchiha to his own dream."

"You - you didn't?" Sasuke said, losing grip on his sword, his mind running at a hundred miles per hour, trying to find some way to prove Naruto's words wrong.

"I succeeded where you did not. I killed the one true successor of the Uchiha Clan." Naruto said, as he formed a one handed seal over the scroll and in a poof of smoke, above them, the head of Uchiha Itachi, bearing his Konoha headband with a cross through it, fell in front of Sasuke's feet. "I killed Uchiha Itachi."

"NO!" Sasuke's sword dropped, as he stopped to stare at the head of the one he sought after to kill for so long - his own brother.

"Goodbye, Uchiha - and the next time we meet, that head on the ground shall be yours." Naruto took Sasuke's pause to escape - he had done what he intended to do - and he was about to disappear. "Hiraishin No Jutsu."

**For What It's Worth  
Prologue**

It was a similar scene - six years ago.

Two flashes, a crumbling valley.

Two boys, charging up their next attack, and standing among the destruction they caused - facing each other, with dark, red eyes.

"I'll give you one last chance!" Naruto called, bearing his fox teeth, his eyes a thin, blood red color, and one tail made of pure Kyuubi chakra behind him. "We can go back now!"

"You're telling me that?" Sasuke asked, his eyes bearing the Uchiha-clan's Sharingan, and his body bearing the full extent of the Cursed Seal - two wings on his back and long grey hair. "I should be giving you the last chance - it's over!"

"If you say so..." Naruto called back, as he began to form a dark ball of chakra in his hand. "RASENGAN!"

"CHIDORI!" Sasuke called out, the black lightning chakra forming in his hand. The two enemies, once friends, charged at each other, aiming to kill.

A giant flash occurred, and an explosion was created between them.

Two bodies fell down - one falling unconsciously, one falling gracefully.

The unconscious body fell first, followed by the other landing on the ground on both feet. He staggered slowly, limping towards the unconscious body of the former comrade. Both of their past transformations had ceased, they were back to their old form.

"It's over - just like you said." The blonde spoke, as his headband slipped off his head, revealing a line scratched right through it. "Looks like you were able to get one good hit - Uchiha." The said Uchiha laid on the ground unconscious, his body bearing the recognizable damage of a Rasengan - he would've been dead, had Naruto not held back while trying to dodge the Chidori. Naruto bent over, taking the unscathed headband from Sasuke, and taking it as his own, giving Sasuke his damaged headband. Naruto took one look at Sasuke, before speaking the words he never thought he'd say.

"You're not worth it."

Few would ever know what really happened that day, as Naruto later returned to Kakashi, stating Sasuke had won and disappeared, whilst only the latter was true - Sasuke's body was later recovered and healed by Kabuto.

* * *

**A/N**: Confused? The first part of the chapter takes place in the future, whilst the second part of the chapter takes place at the Valley of the End - stating the change of the story. This story is dedicated to the one Naruto story that first got me into fanfiction, I forgot what it's called, but I do remember what it was about - a oneshot in which Naruto kills Itachi before Sasuke.

Now the next chapter will begin after Naruto's three year training gap.

This'll be fun.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto... Seriously. **

"There." Sasuke spoke, as he returned his sword to its sheath, surveying the large amount of fallen hunter-nins surrounding him. "Problem eliminated."

"You really are ruthless, Sasuke." Kabuto said, treading carefully among the countless dead bodies, making his way through the forest towards Sasuke. "You're almost as bloodthirsty as Orochimaru himself."

"Almost?" Sasuke asked, deactivating his Sharingan as he straightened his white robe and tightened the purple rope around his body, similar to the one that Orochimaru wore. "I killed them all, didn't I?"

"I'm surprised you haven't even realized after three years of training under Orochimaru." Kabuto replied, straightening his glasses.

"I have trained loyally under Orochimaru for three years - killed who he has told me to kill, done what he has told me to do, and I have been the subject to many of his enhancing experiments. Now tell me - what is it that I don't know about Orochimaru, that you do?" Sasuke asked, as Kabuto chuckled in response.

"What makes a person bloodthirsty isn't the number of people they kill," Kabuto chose his words carefully around Sasuke, as to not annoy Orochimaru's favorite 'pupil', "what makes a person bloodthirsty is how much they enjoy doing it."

"I can tell you this, Kabuto." Sasuke said, turning to meet Kabuto, eye to eye. "I will take pleasure in killing both Naruto and my brother."

Naruto may not have known it, but somehow, Sasuke was able to hear and remember the final words Naruto spoke to him - 'You're not worth it.'

**For What It's Worth  
Chapter 1**

'You're not worth it.'

Somewhere else, in a different part of the country - Naruto was thinking about the same words. It wasn't that he regretted saying it, it was just that he was so surprised at how he was able to explain so much about how he felt in that one, brutally honest sentence. From that day on, it had felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders, and everyone - even Kakashi and Jiraiya - had said that after the incident, Naruto had become more 'focused', yet at the cost of becoming more 'distant'. Most assumed that it was because of his apparent 'loss' to Sasuke, but Naruto knew different. It was Naruto's new found persona that made Jiraiya agree to train him for the two and a half years, and it was Naruto's new found persona that had saved Naruto and Jiraiya from many clashes with the Akatsuki and its subordinates.

"This is it." Jiraiya yawned, stretching in front of their makeshift campfire. It was well into the night, after a long routine of what was both 'training' and 'research'. "The home stretch. Excited?"

"I guess so." Naruto said, crossing his legs and pondering deeply. Over his trip, a particularly strange training incident occurred which resulted in the utter destruction of Naruto's clothing, and since then, he had begun wearing a uniform similar to Jiraiya's - his own black shirt with an orange swirl, grey pants and Jiraiya's red vest, which bore the same symbol as Jiraiya's headband on its back.

"You guess so?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well, will the remember me? And will I even be able to go on missions with them, seeing as I'm a Genin and they've all probably been put up a rank?" Naruto asked, letting his eyes linger on his right arm, in which Sasuke's old forehead protector was tied around.

"Of course they will!" Jiraiya said quite merrily, guzzling down more Sake. "Here, drink!"

"I'm still underage, you know?" Naruto asked. "Or has that alcohol gone to your head?" Naruto laughed, as Jiraiya tried to get Naruto to drink some of the alcohol.

"It's celebratory, boy!" Jiraiya growled. "Or is Naruto, the great wind-user to good for my alcohol?"

A clicking noise sounded, suddenly stopping both of them and silencing their laughter. Jiraiya quickly used a water jutsu to extinguish the fire, and Naruto began packing as much things as he could carry into his and Jiraiya's bags. Jiraiya, immediately coming to his senses, hid any sign of them ever being there, but Naruto stopped him.

"No time for that, old-man." Naruto said, grabbing Jiraiya. "By now, they're not that far away, I told you we should've stayed further away from the trip wire!"

"You gotta admit, it was pretty well concealed and place, to be able to catch an Akatsuki off guard." Jiraiya muttered, but Naruto had already wrapped an arm around him.

"I get it - you're the best, now let's get out of here." Naruto said, preparing to leave.

"No - they're too close to try an escape, use a masking jutsu." Jiraiya whispered, as Naruto nodded.

"Meisaigakure No Jutsu. (Hiding Camouflage Technique)" Naruto quickly performed the hand seals, as his hand seal speed had grown with his training. The jutsu rendered Naruto and Jiraiya camouflaged with their surroundings, as they hid behind the safety of a tree ready to attack whoever came.

"I hate these recon missions..." A male voice whispered, making no effort to walk quietly in the forest.

"I swear, Orochimaru's information is never right." Another voice added, not even making an effort to whisper either. "We've been sent on a wild goose chase after the demon-boy and the frog sannin, and all we've hit are dead ends!"

"Sound-nins..." Jiraiya muttered so only he and Naruto could here. "From what I can tell, they look to be about Jounin-level at most."

"And there are only two of them." Naruto replied. "I already had clones placed around the area as soon as the wire was set off." Naruto said, answering Jiraiya's unspoken question.

"Count of three..." Jiraiya whispered. "One, two, three!"

"Shihohappo Shuriken! (Shuriken From All Directions)" Naruto called, gaining the attention of the enemy nins, as all of Naruto's surrounding clones sent shuriken at their direction, catching them off guard.

"Dammit! There's more than one of them!" The first Sound-nin called to his partner, as he began deflecting shuriken with his kunai. Naruto and his clones rushed straight towards him, preparing to use the Uzumaki Naruto Rendan. The Sound-nin managed to destroy the first two clones, but Naruto was too quick, using the destroyed clones as a distraction as he kicked him into the air. The real Naruto and the remaining seven clones all used chakra to jump into the air and attack his body multiple times before it actually hit the ground - unconsciously. Jiraiya on the other hand, had already finished his task, standing triumphantly on the defeated Sound-nin's body.

"So this is the trash Orochimaru is employing now." Jiraiya kicked the unconscious nin's body, as Naruto's clones disappeared. "They weren't even good recon-nins either!"

"Ero-sennin?" Naruto said, gaining his sensei's attention. "Let's just go home."

- -

"And then, I totally kicked his ass!" Naruto proclaimed happily, as for the first time in a while he was allowed to act his age. The fifteen year-old boy was doing something he hadn't done in a while, sitting at the Ichiraku Ramen and eating with all his past comrades - the Rookie 9 along with Team Gai, all of his former friends were there, besides Sasuke and the Sand Trio.

"We have some interesting stories too, you know, unlike you we've actually been doing missions." Kiba said, the large dog which used to be Akamaru was sitting obediently behind him, eating out of his dog bowl. "And unlike you, we're not Genins anymore."

"It won't be long before I catch up, though." Naruto cracked his knuckles as he said that, before taking a big slurp out of his Ramen.

"It will be a while till you catch up to us though." Neji said, having been quiet for most of the meal. "Shikamaru and I have been promoted to Jounin."

"I could still beat you, Neji - if you're up for a rematch." Naruto smiled.

"Neji and Shikamaru aren't the only ones that aren't Chunin." Sakura said, smiling proudly. "Me and Shino are now Special Medic Jounin!"

"Medic?" Naruto raised an eyebrow towards Shino, who had also been keeping to himself in the entire meal, Naruto hadn't even seen the Ramen go past his high collar once through the whole meal, but somehow he had already finished it.

"His bugs are very useful in healing situations." Hinata added quietly, obviously having gained enough confidence to talk to Naruto face to face without blushing.

"Saved me once." Chouji muttered between bites, looking very much like his father with his hair growing out to be very long, as well as wearing the Akimichi armor. In fact, when Naruto thought about it, most of them looked very similar to their parents or sensei's. Shikamaru was looking like his father in his Jounin uniform, and already had a stubble around his mouth, Neji had taken after Hiashi, wearing even the same uniform, Lee was beginning to look like an exact clone of Gai, Sakura was taking after Tsunade and even Hinata had grown her hair longer like Kurenai and was beginning to dress like her.

"You know Naruto - after your long holiday, you owe us all matches, unlike you we haven't been slacking off." Kiba said, as Naruto smiled to himself, they probably had no idea how hard he had been training to protect himself from the Akatsuki for the past three years.

"Count me out." Shikamaru sighed.

"Then let me be first!" Lee said excitedly, slamming his fist on the table in front of him. "I will see if the fire of youth still burns in Naruto!"

"Actually I think I deserve to beat the crap out of Naruto." Sakura smiled innocently, cracking her knuckles, striking fear into all of the males, except for Naruto who didn't know what was going on.

"Good luck Naruto." Chouji whispered in his ear. "She's a monster. Even stronger than I am." Naruto took one look at all his former comrades, Kiba, Chouji, Shikamaru and even Lee were cowering in fear over Sakura, standing up and ready to fight, while Neji and Shino simple watched and ate their food, Neji shaking his head and muttering the word 'childish' along with Hinata who talked to TenTen and Ino quietly, further away from the boys and Sakura.

- -

"I suppose you've heard of what happened in the Cloud?" Tsunade asked, as Jiraiya sat down on his own seat.

"What a pity - second strongest in the village 'disappeared'." Jiraiya replied.

"That's what they're saying, but we all know it isn't true." Tsunade said.

"Akatsuki and their Biju hunt." Jiraiya muttered. "Though there is something strange about it."

"Hm?" Tsunade asked, as Jiraiya explained further.

"Akatsuki were supposedly biding their time, preparing something before taking down the Biju's one demon at a time, in the order of first-tailed, second-tailed, and third-tailed and so on." Jiraiya said. "But the Jinchuuriki of the Cloud had only two tails. And from the information I've gathered, they have to get it in the order of one demon at a time, from the first to the ninth."

"But Gaara is still alive. Are they planning to attack the Gaara?"

"It seems so. But if they can't do anything to the two-tailed demon while Gaara is still alive and well, there is a possibility that the captured Shinobi is still alive." Jiraiya said. "So there is a high chance that Gaara is their next target."

"I'll alert the Kazekage immediately. Suna is our ally, and we must warn them before they are attacked." Tsunade said. "I'll send one of our fastest messenger birds to the Kazekage. We'll decide what to do when we get their reply."

- -

Originally, Baki hated being Kazekage. Mostly, it was because of the amount of paperwork he was given. To fix that problem he doubled the amount of assistants working under him, lessening his workload - a reckless and selfish decision, but one that worked in his favor.

It gave him more time to do other things, most of them being more practical jobs, the kind he enjoyed rather than being stuck behind a desk reviewing different items of paperwork. Of course, he still missed the missions, and he stilled missed fighting alongside comrades. And it was just at another moment of him contemplating memories of fighting with his teammates when he received the letter from the Hokage. It was one of the first exciting events that had occurred to him in a while, and he had already devised a plan of action.

- -

"Asuma, may I borrow you for a moment?" Naruto asked, as he knocked on the door of Asuma's apartment.

"What is it, Naruto?" Asuma asked, opening the door to Naruto and letting him in. Naruto noted how he was dressed in a simple singlet and pants, the standard for a Shinobi not on a mission.

"Well Kakashi is out on a mission, and ever since I found out I was more inclined to wind-element jutsu during my training I've only been able to learn the basics." Naruto said walking behind Asuma and into his small kitchen. "And seeing as you're the most proficient user of wind jutsu's in Konoha, I was hoping you can train me." Asuma took his time, pausing to think about Naruto's request, before leaving to take something from another room. Naruto waited patiently, and it wasn't long before Asuma returned carrying two pairs of his signature trench knives.

"Take a pair of these, free of charge." Asuma said, tossing Naruto the knives. "Those are special, made specifically for Shinobi who use wind jutsu. As you should've already figured out, the element of wind is used mainly for cutting, as it is the sharpest of them all. These knives can channel the wind chakra, making them able to cut through virtually anything depending on how much chakra you put through it. Practice with them."

"And then?" Naruto said, as he put his fingers through the trench knives with the knives facing downwards. "Will you teach me more wind jutsu?"

"Wind jutsu is probably also the most flexible element, as there are no definite jutsus to be learned from it. Go make your own - or improvise." Asuma said, before hurrying Naruto out of the door. "That's all - lessons ended. Don't come to my house ever again." The door slammed behind Naruto, and Naruto decided to follow Asuma's last piece of advice and practice with the trench knives.

"That was rude." He muttered to himself, as he left to go find a place to train.

* * *

**A review or two would be nice. Just a suggestion. **


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